GAME #30
No. 3 Cleveland State vs. No. 6 UIC | Horizon League Quarterfinal
Wednesday, March 11 | 7:00 p.m. | Wolstein Center
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Cleveland State vs. UIC | Horizon League Tournament Bracket

SETTING THE SCENE
After winning five of their last seven contests to close out the regular season, the Cleveland State women's basketball team has earned the No. 3 seed in the upcoming Horizon League Tournament and will host sixth-seeded UIC in a quarterfinal matchup on Wednesday, March 11. Wednesday's contest is set for a 7:00 p.m. start at the Wolstein Center, with the winner advancing to the Horizon League semifinals. Entering the tournament, CSU stands at 18-11 overall, while UIC owns a 16-13 record. This will be the  68th meeting between the two teams, with Cleveland State owning a slight 35-32 advantage in the overall series - including a 58-46 victory in last Saturday's regular season finale.

A WIN WEDNESDAY WOULD…
Send the Vikings to the Horizon League semifinals for the fifth time under Kate Peterson Abiad…Extend CSU's current winstreak to three games…Keep the Vikings perfect during the month of March…Improve Cleveland State's win total to 19 for the first time since the 2010-11 season.

SCOUTING THE FLAMES
UIC enters Wednesday's quarterfinal contest as the No. 6 seed after finishing the regular season with a 16-13 overall record and a 6-10 mark in Horizon League play…The Flames have won just two games out of their last seven contests, with the wins coming against Milwaukee and Oakland…UIC leads the league in rebounding margin (+9.2), steals (10.3), and offensive rebounds (17.7), while ranking second in rebounds (43.8) and scoring defense (58.9)…The Flames have been led by First Team All-League honoree Ruvanna Campbell this season, who leads the league averaging 14.3 rebounds per game and ranks fourth averaging 17.4 points per game…UIC's Terri Bender also earned a spot on the All-Defensive Team, after ranking second among league players averaging 2.8 steals per game.

LAST TIME OUT
The Vikings were able to send their seniors out in style last time out, posting a 58-46 victory over UIC on Senior Day. The senior trio of Cori Coleman, Imani Gordon, and Kiersten Green combined for 47 of CSU's 58 points, while Alexis Eckles tallied her eighth double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds. The Vikings notched 17 steals on the day, and forced the Flames into 21 turnovers. 

CLEVELAND STATE IN THE HORIZON LEAGUE TOURNAMENT
Under head coach Kate Peterson Abiad, the Vikings own a 10-9 record in Horizon League Tournament play, and have captured the Horizon League title twice (2008 & 2010). Cleveland State has been a top-four seed five times during Peterson Abiad's tenure, including a No. 3 seed during the 2008-09 and 2010-11 seasons. 

VIKINGS FINISH REGULAR SEASON WITH 10-6 LEAGUE  MARK
Cleveland State had its best finish in Horizon League regular season play over the past four seasons this year, as the Vikings finished the regular season slate with a 10-6 mark against league opponents. This marked the fifth time under Kate Peterson Abiad that the Vikings finished with double-digit wins in league play, while Cleveland State is just one of three league teams to finish with at least 10 wins this season (Green Bay & Wright State). 

COLEMAN EARNS FIRST TEAM ALL-LEAGUE HONORS
Senior Cori Coleman picked up postseason honors for the first time in her career earlier this week, as she was named to the All-League First Team. Coleman finished the regular season ranked in the top-10 in six Horizon League statistical categories, while also ranking in the top-15 in two others. She averaged a team-high 16.1 points per game, while also averaging 6.5 rebounds and 2.2 steals per game. Entering the tournament, Coleman ranks fifth on the CSU Career scoring chart with 1,537 points, while she also ranks 23rd all-time among Horizon League players with this mark. Coleman is the 10th Viking to earn All-League First Team honors, and the seventh to do so under Kate Peterson Abiad.

GORDON EARNS SECOND TEAM ALL-LEAGUE HONORS
Senior Imani Gordon also picked up postseason honors from the Horizon League, as she was named to the All-League Second Team. Entering the tournament, Gordon is averaging 16.0 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 2.9 assists per game, while she was Cleveland State's top scorer during 11 contests this season and CSU's top rebounder during seven games. Earlier this season Gordon became the 26th Viking all-time to record 1,000 career points, and is now one of just five Vikings all-time with 1,200 career points and 700 career rebounds. Gordon is the second Viking to earn All-League Second Team honors under Kate Peterson Abiad, while she is also the fifth Viking to earn postseason honors multiple times during her tenure.

VIKINGS WITH THE HOME COURT ADVANTAGE
So far this season Cleveland State has been able to take advantage of its home court, owning a 13-2 record while playing at home this season. The Vikings' 13 wins at home is tied for the most wins in program history, and makes the 2014-15 team just the seventh squad in program history to post double-digit wins at home. If CSU is able to win Wednesday's contest against UIC, the Vikings would set a new record for home wins in a season (14).

ECKLES NOTCHES DOUBLE-DOUBLE AGAINST UIC
Alexis Eckles recorded her eighth double-double against UIC last time out, finishing with 11 points and 11 rebounds. On the season, Eckles is averaging 9.2 points and a team-high 7.6 rebounds per game, ranking 27th and seventh among league players, respectively. During league games only, Eckles averaged 10.0 points and 8.1 rebounds per game and shot 51-percent from the field (71-for-137) - a mark that ranked third among league players.

…ECKLES ON THE BLOCK
Alexis Eckles continues to add to her season blocked shot total, entering the tournament ranked eighth in the CSU Single-Season record book with 46 blocks. Eckles, who ranks second among Horizon League players averaging 1.6 blocked shots per game, needs just one more block to move into seventh on the single-season list. In addition, Eckles also has the highest amount of career blocks out of all current Vikings - achieving the mark in just one season of play.

VIKINGS IN CLOSE GAMES
Through 29 games so far this season for the Vikings, 18 have been decided by eight points or less, including eight in Horizon League play. Cleveland State owns a 13-5 record when games are decided by eight points or less this season, including a 7-2 mark in league play. In the 13 wins, CSU has outscored its opponents 163-131 over the last five minutes of the contest, including a 83-for-110 performance from the free throw line.

…LAST TWO GAMES NOT SO CLOSE
Despite nine of Cleveland State's first 14 Horizon League games being decided by eight points or less, the Vikings have finally been able to distance themselves over the last two games, defeating Youngstown State (March 4) and UIC (March 7) by double-digits. The 11-point win over the Penguins and the 12-point victory over the Flames marked just the third and fourth double-digit victories for the Vikings this season, as they were also able to post double-digit wins against Toledo (81-71) and Notre Dame College (83-67).

GREEN SETS SINGLE-SEASON THREE-POINT RECORD
Senior Kiersten Green continues to add to her record-setting three-point total, entering the Horizon League Tournament with a program-best 77 made three-pointers on the season. Green broke the previous record of 67 at Milwaukee (Feb. 28) earlier this season, and has been Cleveland State's top three-point shooter this year, leading the league and ranking 33rd nationally, averaging 2.7 three-pointers per game.

…COLEMAN SETS CAREER THREE-POINT RECORD
Following her five three-pointers at Wright State earlier this season (Jan. 24), Cori Coleman became the all-time leading three-point shooter in Cleveland State history, entering Wednesdays's contest with 209 career three-pointers. Coleman broke the previous record of 190 which was set by Erika Roudebush (1999-03). Coleman is one of just two current Horizon League players with 200 three-pointers on their career, and is the first current Viking to own a CSU career record. 

UP NEXT
The winner of Wednesday's quarterfinal contest will advance to the Horizon League semifinals on Friday, March 13. They will face the winner of the No. 2 Wright State / No. 7 Oakland quarterfinal at 5:00 p.m. local time. The semifinals and championship will be hosted by the highest remaining seed following all four quarterfinal matchups.